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Giving and Receiving

About thirty-five years ago I started hosting studio sales events. In those days before internet shopping, it wasn’t unusual to have folks lined up at the door half an hour before we opened. But lines like that are only the phenomenon of places like Best Buys on Black Friday today. Even in the early days, the challenge of picking the right weekend would have benefited from the assistance of a Greek sibyl. About the time you thought you had it figured out, things changed.

So this year I’ve taken a new tact: follow up with open studio hours after the main event. Every Saturday in December I’m opening the studio from ten until one for shoppers to stop by and choose a one-of-a-kind gift of art in the intimate, peaceful setting of my home-studio. With a cup of tea or glass of wine to take the edge off the stress of the decision making process, what could be more civil?

Last Saturday, one fine husband made his wife’s holiday, purchasing her this lovely painting of a farm in Normandy which was down the lane from our mill-home last summer. It wasn’t a surprise present, but she got what she really wanted. And they got to take it home and make sure it was the right thing before they made the final decision. I wish you all could have heard the ecstatic joy and satisfaction when it went on their wall! The last thing I have ever wanted in my career was for someone to make a big purchase and not like it when they got it home. And the greatest joy in my career is knowing my work has made someone’s holiday and the days which follow more visually inspiring.